as in giant
unusually large
harvested a whacking number of zucchini from the garden
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in extremely
to a great degree
the clown wore a whacking big pair of shoes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in smacking
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
whacked the vending machine to get the candy bar to fall
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in murdering
slang
to put to death deliberately
without a second thought the mob boss had them whacked
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of whacking
Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 23 Feb. 2026
Next thing, authorities told media outlets, a 63-year-old player allegedly punched an opponent and then used his pickleball paddle as a weapon, whacking a 70-year-old in the face.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Then Eriksson Ek helped create Spurgeon’s tying goal by dominating Kaiser in front and whacking at two rebound attempts, with the puck bouncing right to Spurgeon by the post.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
The reptile reacts to being picked up by flicking its meaty tail back and forth, whacking a few of the deputies.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025
The robot showcased exemplary skills with the bat, whacking the ball precisely in a rally of over 100 shots with human-like agility.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2025
New York put the screws to its division rival on Tuesday, whacking nine home runs to cruise to a 13-3 victory.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
In the ensuing melee, an overly aggressive security guard makes the mistake of whacking Hutch’s young daughter on the head.
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2025
Verb
Rio’s staunch griminess, dreaming of whacking his brother and wanting to cut his nephew’s tongue for snitching, drags Fxce out into the open sea.
—Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 23 Feb. 2026
Next thing, authorities told media outlets, a 63-year-old player allegedly punched an opponent and then used his pickleball paddle as a weapon, whacking a 70-year-old in the face.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Then Eriksson Ek helped create Spurgeon’s tying goal by dominating Kaiser in front and whacking at two rebound attempts, with the puck bouncing right to Spurgeon by the post.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
The reptile reacts to being picked up by flicking its meaty tail back and forth, whacking a few of the deputies.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025
The robot showcased exemplary skills with the bat, whacking the ball precisely in a rally of over 100 shots with human-like agility.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2025
New York put the screws to its division rival on Tuesday, whacking nine home runs to cruise to a 13-3 victory.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
In the ensuing melee, an overly aggressive security guard makes the mistake of whacking Hutch’s young daughter on the head.
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whacking
Adjective
-
China is testing giant airborne turbines A Chinese project is testing wind turbines that generate electricity from high in the sky.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The one-night-only show, which won’t be televised or recorded as a special, is meant to be one giant party for comedy fans who’ve supported Koy and Iglesias since their early days.—
Deputy Entertainment,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
To gather the critical data, researchers used the James Webb Space Telescope’s unique ability to detect extremely faint objects.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Known for its extremely rough waters and rocky coastline, this remote section of the Namibian coast is not meant for sunbathers or scuba divers.—
Melanie van Zyl,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Her furious attempts to extricate herself from Ramirez ended with her smacking her head on the parking lot asphalt and Ramirez hitting her in the right eye, according to the arrest report.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Shepard attached the head of a 6-iron golf club to his sample collecting tool and was recorded smacking a couple golf balls across the lunar landscape.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Each night, the traitors eliminate one faithful by figuratively murdering them, ending their time on the show.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
3 Mar. 2026
-
People being selfish, people being greedy, people murdering other people, people kidnapping other people, taking advantage of women, people taking advantage of children, all of this awful stuff.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Everyone’s broken, so the collective strength of the cast in keeping us on our toes about where this is all headed is a huge plus.—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Rich-girl flip-flops Flip-flops underwent a huge glow-up last summer, graduating from a beachside afterthought to a genuine fashion statement.—
Jake Henry Smith,
Glamour,
6 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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Being finally at the point to put a six-year age statement on every single bottle of our flagship whiskeys feels pretty damn good.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
6 Mar. 2026
-
It’s been done pretty damn well for many, many, many decades.—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Itoje was sin-binned in the 64th for illegally slapping the ball in a maul and 13 men were playing Italy's 15.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
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As opposed to slapping a host of aerodynamic elements on there, Xiaomi's designers integrated the aerodynamics into the car's shape itself.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The presiding judge in the case against Tyler Robinson, accused of assassinating conservative icon Charlie Kirk last September, will rule on a critical defense motion today.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Harry Jacobs, who was recently named head of the office's criminal division, was also involved in the prosecution of Vance Boelter, the man accused of assassinating former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whacking. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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